Right-hander gives Quad Cities three weekly pitching award winners for the first time since 2007
DAVENPORT, Iowa (August 31, 2015) - Quad Cities River Bandits right-hander Dean Deetz has been named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week for his performance during the week of Aug. 24-30, the Midwest League announced on Monday.
Deetz, 21, is the third River Bandit to win Midwest League Pitcher of the Week honors this season, following right-handers Angel Heredia and David Paulino, who won the award back-to-back for June 29-July 5 and July 6-12, respectively. Quad Cities last had at least three Pitcher of the Week winners in 2007 when Elvis Hernandez (April 5-12), P.J. Walters (May 7-14), Tyler Herron (June 5-July 2), and Michael Schellinger (July 16-23) took home the award.
Following infielder Mott Hyde, who was the Midwest League Player of the Week for April 27-May 3, Heredia, Paulino and Deetz give the River Bandits four Midwest League weekly award winners this season. Quad Cities last won four weekly awards in 2011, when Oscar Tavares won Player of the Week July 11-18 and Aug. 22-29, and pitchers Anthony Ferrara (April 25-May 2) and Trevor Rosenthal (July 18-25) won Pitcher of the Week.
Deetz won the award for his start Aug. 24, when he pitched seven no-hit innings against Clinton, striking out a career-high nine batters and walking two. In the 18-0 win over Clinton, Quad Cities came within two outs of pitching its first no-hitter since 2009. The shutout was one of Quad Cities' 16 this season - the club's most since pitching 17 in 1980. The River Bandits' 2.61 team ERA leads all of full-season baseball and is on pace to be the lowest in the 56-year franchise history for Quad Cities in the Midwest League.
In five games since joining the River Bandits from Short Season Class-A Tri-City July 29, Deetz has started four games and is 3-1 with a 1.11 ERA, 26 strikeouts, and 11 walks while allowing 13 hits in 24 1/3 innings. In his second season pitching in the Houston Astros organization, Deetz is 7-3 with a 2.05 ERA in 52 2/3 innings with 47 strikeouts and 21 walks, a .180 opponents' average and 1.06 WHIP.
A native of Nixa, Mo., Deetz was drafted by the Astros in the 11th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.
Deetz was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week on the same day right-hander Andrew Thome was promoted to the River Bandits from rookie-level Greeneville and was named Appalachian League Pitcher of the Week for Aug. 24-30. Signed by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent July 1, the St. Cloud, Minn., native earned his first two professional wins Aug. 25 and Aug. 30, while pitching a combined nine scoreless innings, in which he allowed six hits and no walks with seven strikeouts.
